Friday, July 2, 2010

Yes, I’m sure you’ve felt exactly that way seeing something just so exquisite and made with so much care and workmanship.

That’s exactly how I feel visiting the Hillwood estate and museum, really a private home that is so lovingly preserved and well cared for and the scale of the place is just so right. I felt like I was invited to visit a magical and private world only a few can enjoy.
This special place that Marjorie Post endowed to the public is one of those places just to die for…I mean how many homes have a private dacha, a Japanese garden, a rose parterre, a formal water garden all wrapped up into a beautiful place for everyone to enjoy, now we can do just that – thank you Marjorie for your gift.

Lets start our tour at the front entry just like Marjorie, who would greet her guests, along with Hermes. He graces the boxed and parterre linked lawn shaped into hearts all pointing the god of love.

Just off to the right side is the formal parterre and water garden, I love all the attention to detail, the perfect symmetry, and the red edge begonias for a hint of color, something that works just so well in this type of home….sometimes when you expect to see something and you actually get it, its like getting your choice of favorite ice cream flavors and enjoying every moment, yum!

Don’t you just love her gaze?

The central water feature with these whimsical cherubs riding on spirited dolphins steal the show and add sweet sounds to this enclosed room.

Beauty and inspiring statuary graciously sit in the garden as if they command to be placed in just the right spot for all to admire.

Further down a shaded walkway with mature trees you finally see a clearing with a tall centerpiece surrounded by a heavenly scented rose garden and rounded pergola.

This is Marjory’s favorite spot and the centerpiece is actually her gravestone. I couldn’t think of a better place to enjoy eternity enjoying one’s roses.

The estate is filled with many large lawn areas with vistas to distant views and mature tree lines. Immediate details include many annuals, statuary and potted features with begonias and impatiens.

This pagoda marks the entrance to the Japanese garden which is a series of stepped gardens that have many vistas and unique plantings like maples and ornamentals that typify this aesthetic. There are many pathways leading to beautifully landscaped areas, lily ponds and water features that are a delight to walk through.

As we walk through the cutting beds, you notice how well cared the beds are by dozens of volunteers that meticulously care for the gardens and the flowers that grace the interiors of the home. You can see the large conservatory in the background which I made an earlier post on the exotics that were grown inside.

Here’s a back view of the the home with this gorgeous Medinilla Magnifica on the Veranda. The exquisite interior houses her treasures of fine French and Russian collections from her extensive travels and eye for beautiful objects.

Even though one is not allowed to take pictures of the museum pieces indoors. The photo below shows one of her prized water fountains done in gold leaf and is on the side wall of the home, the only treasure I was able to photograph along with the gardens.

One last photo of Diana, which graces the water garden at the back end of the green wall and makes a focal point to the garden. The red begonias line the entire wall like red accents and add a little color to this mostly green room.

Isn’t this place just so well done, I’ve really enjoyed my visit here and I hope that you also enjoyed the tour. You’ll just have to visit Hillwood to see the interiors of the home and the treasures, but for me the gardens are the real treasures.

Hi Noel. Oh my what a beautiful place for a visit. Everything is just so gorgeous. I love so many of the statues that grace the gardens. I think my favorite spot would be to walk across the stepping stones through the water in the Japanese garden. The rose garden is so beautiful. That would be a gardeners ideal place to rest with all of that beauty around them. Thank you so much for the tour.Have a wonderful weekend.

fantaabulously-fantastic ! I would have jumped in that center fountain and stayed gazing at everything until the guards threw me out. Statues were a treat,loved all of them, and loved hat this woman is buried in the center of the garden. Would do the same here, but I do believe it is illegal in SC ! take care, Gina

OMG, Noel, I can't believe I've been totally unaware of this place. When I get back to Gettysburg (70 miles from DC) for teaching in August, I'm going to put a visit to this garden high on my to-do list. Thank you, thank you, thank you for telling me about this treasure. -Jean

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Living in East Hawaii on the Big Island, I am amazed by the multitude of new plant genera that I've started to discover and become addicted to. Come and explore with me in finding new amazing plants, discover the variegated and colorful, rare specimens, developing my garden, garden design, learning about sustainability and just doing the naughty things that a plant fanatic typically won't do in public :)

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Writer, photographer, artist, food fanatic and wanderer,I love to visit and discover new places, exotic food and interesting people along my travels. I love to travel abroad and share new stories and images of my visits, food discoveries, culture/historic tours and trying something new and worth sharing. My photography and writing is a big part of the joy and creative process.
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